Our aim
To help develop and provide the following:
Voice
Communication
A medium for independent expression
Why blog?
Here in Grade 8, we have seen the benefits of giving students more voice as well as an immediate medium for reflection. Not only has it allowed us as teachers to consolidate literacy, it has also allowed us insight into students’ thoughts and interests. Students’ pride in their work is a motivating force, as is the knowledge that their words and voice are public. Blogging is an ever-growing phenomenon and part of the life of today’s global citizen.
There is some argument that when students are required to write posts, this is no longer blogging, that we have interfered with the ‘free flow’ of thought and the independence of this medium.
"By its very nature, assigned blogging in schools cannot be blogging. It’s contrived. No matter how much we want to spout off about the wonders of audience and readership, students who are asked to blog are blogging for an audience of one, the teacher… When the semester ends, 'students drop blogging like wet cement.'" (Will Richardson, in Downes)
Yet at the same time, many students reaffirm their belief in the power of blogging. Dominic Ouellet-Tremblay, a fifth-grade student at St-Joseph (Quebec City, Canada), writes: "The blogs give us a chance to communicate between us and motivate us to write more. When we publish on our blog, people from the entire world can respond by using the comments link. This way, they can ask questions or simply tell us what they like. We can then know if people like what we write and this indicate[s to] us what to do better. By reading these comments, we can know our weaknesses and our talents. Blogging is an opportunity to exchange our point of view with the rest of the world not just people in our immediate environment." (Downes)
Research appears to indicate that it is the way we approach blogging that makes the difference; that we all need to know its purpose and how to control it. It remains important to keep our students enthused about their subjects and provide a writing framework for communication; to make them want to write. It is important that we as teachers also blog, to model the positives of blogging, as well as effective structure. In the end, all writing is about communication. Structure aids that communication. It is true that some students do complain. But at the same time, in our experience, they all write more on blogs and demonstrate more insight and more ‘connections’ between themselves, the topics and the outside world than they have previously done on paper. The more public their comments become, the more they write. Every new word and thought adds up. In grade 8, blogs are not only used in humanities but also across all core classes, advisory and specials.
In Humanities, we use our teacher blogs to discuss themes in curriculum, reflect on social issues, post work, model examples and help our students make connections.
This year in Humanities, students have used their blogs in the following ways:
Table of Contents
Using blogs as part of curriculum
Our aim
To help develop and provide the following:
Why blog?
Here in Grade 8, we have seen the benefits of giving students more voice as well as an immediate medium for reflection. Not only has it allowed us as teachers to consolidate literacy, it has also allowed us insight into students’ thoughts and interests. Students’ pride in their work is a motivating force, as is the knowledge that their words and voice are public. Blogging is an ever-growing phenomenon and part of the life of today’s global citizen.
There is some argument that when students are required to write posts, this is no longer blogging, that we have interfered with the ‘free flow’ of thought and the independence of this medium.
"By its very nature, assigned blogging in schools cannot be blogging. It’s contrived. No matter how much we want to spout off about the wonders of audience and readership, students who are asked to blog are blogging for an audience of one, the teacher… When the semester ends, 'students drop blogging like wet cement.'" (Will Richardson, in Downes)
Yet at the same time, many students reaffirm their belief in the power of blogging. Dominic Ouellet-Tremblay, a fifth-grade student at St-Joseph (Quebec City, Canada), writes: "The blogs give us a chance to communicate between us and motivate us to write more. When we publish on our blog, people from the entire world can respond by using the comments link. This way, they can ask questions or simply tell us what they like. We can then know if people like what we write and this indicate[s to] us what to do better. By reading these comments, we can know our weaknesses and our talents. Blogging is an opportunity to exchange our point of view with the rest of the world not just people in our immediate environment." (Downes)
Research appears to indicate that it is the way we approach blogging that makes the difference; that we all need to know its purpose and how to control it. It remains important to keep our students enthused about their subjects and provide a writing framework for communication; to make them want to write. It is important that we as teachers also blog, to model the positives of blogging, as well as effective structure. In the end, all writing is about communication. Structure aids that communication. It is true that some students do complain. But at the same time, in our experience, they all write more on blogs and demonstrate more insight and more ‘connections’ between themselves, the topics and the outside world than they have previously done on paper. The more public their comments become, the more they write. Every new word and thought adds up. In grade 8, blogs are not only used in humanities but also across all core classes, advisory and specials.
In Humanities, we use our teacher blogs to discuss themes in curriculum, reflect on social issues, post work, model examples and help our students make connections.
This year in Humanities, students have used their blogs in the following ways:
Sources
Downes, S., 'Educational Blogging' http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/EducationalBlogging/4093
Dyck, B., 'Log on to a blog', Educationworld, http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/span<span style="font-size: 12pt">
More Resources
http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/
http://oedb.org/library/features/top-100-education-blogs
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/
SAS blogs
http://blogs.saschinaonline.org/
http://teachers.saschinaonline.org/smuench
http://teachers.saschinaonline.org/fleong